Here is the AuctionBytes online-auction news roundup for Friday, December 17, 2004.

Industry News & Trends

"Will Work for Presents: From Massages to Skateboard Lessons, Web Users Swap Services for Holiday Loot," by Vauhini Vara, Wall Street Journal, 12/16/04
Paid subscription required.
http://digbig.com/4chbp

Weird, Unusual, Celebrity or Charity Auctions

"Burrell's Di notes on eBay," By CHARLES RAE and MARTYN SHARPE, The Sun Newspaper, 12/16/04
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004581514,00.html

"Accident victim pins hopes on eBay," By Dan Silkstone, The Age, 12/17/04
http://digbig.com/4chfa

"EBay turfs ghost of granddad," by Rochelle Squires, Winnipeg Sun, 12/14/04
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2004/12/14/781468-sun.html

Fraud, Privacy, Security Issues

"Man loses $1,800 in last-chance eBay try," By Tammy Stables Battaglia, Detroit Free Press, 12/16/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locoak/policebrief16e_20041216.htm

"Phishing attacks rocket in November," by Dawn Kawamoto, Cnet, 12/15/04
http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-5491794.html

You can view a PDF file of the Anti-Phishing Working Group "Phishing Activity Trends Report" from November 2004 here:
http://digbig.com/4chet (PDF file)

"Putting an End to Account-Hijacking Identity Theft," FDIC, 12/14/04
Note: This links directly to a PDF file.
http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/idtheftstudy/identity_theft.pdf

Miscellaneous

"Random House Considers Online Sales of Its Books," by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, Wall Street Journal, 12/15/04
Paid subscription required.
http://digbig.com/4chbq

"‘Big-box’ retailers excel in cyberspace: Offline stores are outshining their Internet-only rivals," By Roland Jones, MSnbc, 12/14/04
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6711347

"The new world's A to Z, courtesy of Google," By Kieren McCarthy, The Register, 12/14/04
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/14/googles_a_to_z

"Postal Service triumphs in cross-country delivery battle with FedEx, UPS," By John Hogan, The Grand Rapids Press, 12/14/04
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-19/11030391234920.xml

"FASB Posts Options Rule," By Troy Wolverton, TheStreet.com, 12/16/04 http://www.thestreet.com/_tscfoc/stocks/troywolverton/10199584.html